Ford calls on automotive workers to 'end the strike'

Speaking at the Rouge factory in Michigan, Ford said that they are at a 'turning point' while the UAW strike continues, and that choosing the right path is not just about Ford's future and competitiveness, but also about the future of the American automotive industry.

Stating that union leaders have declared them 'enemies' in the negotiations, Ford emphasized that he would never view his employees as 'enemies.' Ford stated that they have offered a contract that would place union employees among the highest-paid manufacturing workers in the world.

Reminding that the union nevertheless decided to strike at the company's truck plant in Kentucky, Ford expressed that the closure of the plant in question harms tens of thousands of Americans, including workers, suppliers, and dealers, and warned that if the strike continues, it will have a major impact on the American economy.

Stating that this can be stopped now and addressing his colleagues at the UAW, Ford said, 'We need to come together to put an end to these acrimonious negotiations. I still believe in a bright future that we can build together.'

AUTOMOTIVE WORKERS' STRIKE

After no agreement was reached by the September 14 expiration date of the current contract in the UAW's negotiations with Ford, GM, and Stellantis regarding a new contract for approximately 150,000 workers, about 13,000 workers decided to go on strike.

Thus, the automotive workers' strike targeting the 3 major automakers began on September 15, and for the first time in the union's 88-year history, workers from all 3 automotive companies went on strike together.

On September 22, the union announced that they would expand the strike against GM and Stellantis due to a lack of progress in new contract negotiations. In this context, it was reported that workers would stop work at 38 more facilities of GM and Stellantis across 20 states.

On September 29, the UAW announced that 7,000 more of its members working at Ford and GM would go on strike, and that there would be no new strike at Stellantis because improvements had been made to the contract.

Last week, the union announced that approximately 4,000 of its members at Mack Trucks, a subsidiary of Sweden's Volvo Group, in Pennsylvania, Maryland, and Florida, as well as 8,700 members at Ford's truck plant in Kentucky, had gone on strike.

News Source: 12punto